<p>More customers equals more opportunities for employees is always true whatever they do on holidays. The stores that are open have decided it’s the best way to compete in the current environment which it could easily be argued is also better for the cashiers in the long run if they want to have a place to work at all. I also can’t imagine too many successful companies making business decisions based on the whims of the entry-level staff. Dr. Google makes a good point. If this trend is so awful why not blame the shoppers? Without them it wouldn’t be happening. They are not required to show up. Generally, I’m not a big fan of any membership stores but I doubt I’d pick one based on the employee work schedule Probably prices, inventory, and location would be the deciders.</p>
<p>The shoppers would not be there if the businesses weren’t open. I remember when most retail stores were closed on Sundays. Folks just didn’t shop. It was not a crisis.</p>
<p>If the grocery store wasn’t open on holidays, maybe folks would check their,supplies more carefully…knowing they couldn’t just run out for forgotten things.</p>
<p>Right. Everyone should just stay home that day and eat turkey like it or not and not watch football because that’s not essential, either. Okay </p>
<p>Here is an oxymoron, as a country we love to have new immigrants. When they are here, I’m sure they don’t all follow America’s custom. I’ve heard on the news that one Indian bride to be got killed in a bad traffic accident because she had to get up to go shopping in the dark. So now we are saying these shops are against the civilized society. Some Newly immigrants will continue to do what they’ve always do. Hence the contradictions. Should we dictate them what to do in this free society?
If you work for a business that forces you to work on these Holidays that you don’t like, my simple advice is quit. Find other work.</p>
<p>The other thing brick & mortar businesses have to compete with are online stores which tend to be up 24/7/365. If they can’t keep up, they may end up closing for good. </p>
<p>Oh flossy…give it a break. Stores don’t have to be open 24/7. That’s all I’m saying. If you think they need to be, fine.</p>
<p>I didn’t say a word about staying home and eating turkey.</p>
<p>Every other holiday has become about mattress and furniture sales and the ubiquitous Macy’s One Day Sale. It’s nice to have one family/national celebration where people just take time out to stop and reflect and . . . well . . . be thankful about something other than retail sales. </p>
<p>No, I don’t think they need to be. I’m just okay with them and their customers deciding what makes sense. Personally, I don’t much care one way or the other. I have gone to the movies on Thanksgiving, though. Everyone survived.</p>
<p>And there is Alibaba who would never stop any day. Remember this is how jobs got outsourced in the past.</p>
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<p>But they’re not. It has become a tradition in many families to stuff themselves on turkey, then pile into the minivan to sit on a sidewalk outside Kohl’s or Target or wherever until the doors open…and hope they don’t get trampled to death by other people stampeding to the deals.</p>
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<p>If only it were so simple. </p>
<p>I heard on the radio today that the average age of minimum wage workers in this country is 35. 35!! That’s a lot of people in their prime earning years, many of whom undoubtedly are trying to raise families. They can’t just up and quit just because they don’t like their employers’ draconian policies. But consumers who object to them CAN speak with their wallets and shop elsewhere if they want. It’s a free country.</p>
<p>The average age could also include a lot of retirees over 60. I mean public radio is very biased. Almost like the NYT.</p>
<p>DrGoogle, how do you know where I heard that? And no, public radio and the NYT are not “very biased.” (Besides, you’re the one who earlier brought up not venturing into politics, weren’t you?)</p>
<p>Anyway, retirees over age 60 shouldn’t have to work (especially at minimum wage jobs) either! “Retired” generally means “no longer working or having to work.”</p>
<p>How do you know they don’t work? I don’t want to get into politics but when I hear public radio and NYT my antenna goes up. I listen to public radio everyday and I pointed out to people where the biases are. Same when I read CC posts.</p>
<p>For the love of god. The average age stat is probably from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It’s not “biased” to report data. You need to adjust your antenna. </p>
<p>Like I wrote it’s how the average is calculated. There could be high numbers that skewed the average, hence it’s high. </p>
<p>In Australia they have ‘penalty rates’ that employers must pay to employees for working on public holidays. For example, as I understood it when I was there on a big holiday once, a restaurant worker would get 2.5 times normal pay. Normal could be $20 per hour, so that would be $50 per hour, or $400-500 for a day.</p>
<p>This discouraged a lot of businesses from opening at all, but also provided a good incentive for workers who did have to miss their holiday.</p>
<p>If it reports that the economy sucks under the current administration, older people as in retiree age have to take low paying jobs paying minimum wage, what would you say? These people may not have any dependent but themselves.</p>
<p>No politics. Remember? </p>
<p>Many of the folks at what I assume are minimum wage jobs are NOT young. They are definitely not teens or recent grads. They’re working at retail, food service, housekeeping at hotels, and other low wage jobs. Yes, there are some older folks and seniors who are working for reasons of their own, but many who have the fjnancial option seem to choose volunteering instead of having shifts and minimum wage jobs, from my viewpoint. </p>
<p>I believe that the average age of minimum wage workers is 35–that matches what I’ve seen in my community and travels. </p>